With #4 the problem I have is clipping the trees and ending up in the drink if I aim too much left or right. But then I overcompensate sometimes when I think it's gonna clip the trees and it doesn't, and then it bounces back too far and goes into the drink that way. Ugh!
You will never hit the front trees if you pull back hard enough. There is really no way you should end up in the water on 4, it happens to me 1 out of every 25 times or so at best.
I assume you're talking about trying to bounce off the top wall for #4, not bounce off the left wall (Yellow line vs Pink line)? I pull back plenty, but still end up clipping the trees 1/3 of the time, and when I do the ball follows the Red line and ends up in the drink. Clipping the trees definitely has to do with initial angle of the drive--too much left or right and I'm in trouble. Hole #12 is my nemesis! There's just such a fine line in order to be able to clear the lake, yet not bounce back into it. And the wind is SUCH a big factor. I routinely take 3's here, and sometimes even 5's (double water). Ugh!
Definitely yellow line for number 4 And for hole 12 I aim much closer to the hole than that, so it just bounces off the wall and in.
I have never tried the pink line on number 4. I use the red and the yellow and an adjusted yellow further to the left depending on the wind. (also further to the right depending on the wind) Dan is right about 12, close to the hole unless you have a 1.8 or so wind straight left.
Talk about choking under pressure...going into 18th hole last night, I'm on pace to break my personal record by 3 strokes. All I need to do is shoot a 2 on #18. Pretty easy, right? I took a friggin' SIX...hit the water twice, then missed a gimme putt! #$*%!
I was doing awesome in the tourney against Tex. Even had a chance to to beat him and then hole 13 bitched slapped me back to reality. I scored an 8 on hole thirteen.
